I am officially a member of the Upplands Nation!
Now, what is a nation?
According to Uppsala University’s website:
“The thirteen Student Nations are clubs dating back to the 17th century. Each nation bears the name of a certain region in Sweden and historically it was a club for students from that region.”
It used to be a rule that everyone who was a student at UU had to join a nation. It wasn’t until very recently that they no longer made it mandatory. However, I don’t know why you would not join one. Each Nation has a huge house that has a pub, a club, a restaurant, a library...pretty much anything you could ask for. They also have really great prices on the Big Three: food, coffee and alcohol.
Not every nation offers the same quality of things. Some are known for their weekend clubs, some for their delicious food and some boast a large selection of beer or boast a friendly fika atmosphere. Each nation also has groups of their own. Upplands, for example, has a brass band, a monthly magazine, a sports club and a theater group. Every Nation is different.
And no, a Nation is nothing like a fraternity or a sorority. Besides the fact that anyone can join any Nation they want, you can also participate in any Nation’s activities. Almost none of the activities are exclusive to “member’s only.” Even if a Nation has a Formal, called a Gasque in Sweden, anyone can go, members just get priority on the tickets.
Since we arrived to Uppsala, Taylor, Ryan and I have been trying to go to a different nation each time for lunch, fika, dancing or drinking in a pub. We tried to get a feel for each Nation. We waited until the last possible day to sign up for a nation because it was so hard to choose! Every time I would ask a Swede for advice they would say, “Don’t join this one because of this, this Nation is cool, this Nation isn’t....but it doesn’t really matter which one you choose.”
It’s true that it doesn’t “really” matter which nation you join. You should join the nation you plan to visit the most because members get discounts on cover to the clubs or maybe even food.
It really came down to same problem I had when choosing a sorority. Each one was the practically the same, only the people in them are different.
So we chose Upplands Nation because we knew the most people there. Every one is really friendly and we actually made Swedish friends there. (Texas and Sofia (the only two Swedish people I’ve mentioned so far) are in Upplands Nation).
So far, I love it and I’m really happy with my decision. Taylor and Ryan also joined Upplands Nation for the same reasons. I even got a free dinner and a free cup of coffee for joining!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Helsinki
It all started on a slow Sunday night in downtown Uppsala. Taylor, Ryan and I met this wonderful Swede named Texas. Yes, his name is Texas and no, he’s never been to Texas. But he also happens to be an American culture junkie. His knowledge is not only really entertaining but also really helpful when it comes to bridging the gap between all things Swedish and us. Upon meeting Texas, he could name all of Chicago’s sports teams, our mottos, our tourist attractions and even made fun of the Chicago Cubs.
Anyways, it was no wonder that Texas had the hook-up when it came to finding a place to watch the Bears vs. Packers game. We had met some Illinois State University students recently so we invited them and anyone who wanted to come, to watch the game with us.
Not many people go out on Sunday nights and the game didn’t start until 9 PM Swedish time. Needless to say, it was about 7 Americans, 1 Swede and 1 New Zealander in a completely empty bar watching the worst game ever. The only upside was that we didn’t have to deal with any Packers fans. But while talking to the ISU students, we made a wonderful discovery.
Apparently, there is a cruise ship that goes from Stockholm to Helsinki, Finland almost everyday and if you book the tickets last minute and you are a student, you can get the fare pretty cheap. It’s basically a “booze cruise.” It earned this nickname because onboard the ship all the alcohol and cigarettes are tax-free. This is amazing because Sweden has fixed-prices on their alcohol and it’s very expensive compared to alcohol pretty much anywhere else.
So we took the ISU students’ advice and booked a cruise. Here’s the best part: It only cost $5 US Dollars. $5 dollars per person got us a place to sleep. You’re supposed to buy the really expensive food on the ship... but we packed our bags with food and barely bought anything on the ship.
At first I was really nervous because I only spent $5.... so the ship must be deteriorating or really small or dirty or something. But when we got to the harbor in Stockholm, our boat was a big cruise ship. It was not unlike the cruise ship I took to Caribbean with family a couple of years ago.
We left on a Tuesday, partied and gambled all night on the boat, and when we woke up on Wednesday, we were in Finland. We only had about 8 hours onshore before we had to be back on the boat. But we got to see a lot of the city. First we found some really delicious and cheap food for lunch (I actually had Indian food for the first time ever...in Finland). Then we just started walking towards the big cathedral and just wandered around. It was actually a lot of fun because the cathedral was absolutely beautiful. It was so large you could see it from the harbor. We also ran into the Helsinki City Museum (which had free admission). When all of that was done, we had about two hours left before we needed to be back on the boat. We asked the nice museum staff for any advice and their advice was to get on one of the main tram lines and take it all the way around the city. It was the best advice ever. For about 3 Euro we saw every side of Helsinki in about one hour. We never would have known to do that and now I can’t wait to go back so we explore the other side of the city.
Wednesday night was just a repeat of the night before but when we woke up on Thursday morning, we were back in Stockholm.
Overall, Helsinki was a wonderful city. I really loved it. I’m really hoping we can repeat the cruise in the future (maybe when it’s a little warmer out).
Anyways, it was no wonder that Texas had the hook-up when it came to finding a place to watch the Bears vs. Packers game. We had met some Illinois State University students recently so we invited them and anyone who wanted to come, to watch the game with us.
Not many people go out on Sunday nights and the game didn’t start until 9 PM Swedish time. Needless to say, it was about 7 Americans, 1 Swede and 1 New Zealander in a completely empty bar watching the worst game ever. The only upside was that we didn’t have to deal with any Packers fans. But while talking to the ISU students, we made a wonderful discovery.
Apparently, there is a cruise ship that goes from Stockholm to Helsinki, Finland almost everyday and if you book the tickets last minute and you are a student, you can get the fare pretty cheap. It’s basically a “booze cruise.” It earned this nickname because onboard the ship all the alcohol and cigarettes are tax-free. This is amazing because Sweden has fixed-prices on their alcohol and it’s very expensive compared to alcohol pretty much anywhere else.
So we took the ISU students’ advice and booked a cruise. Here’s the best part: It only cost $5 US Dollars. $5 dollars per person got us a place to sleep. You’re supposed to buy the really expensive food on the ship... but we packed our bags with food and barely bought anything on the ship.
At first I was really nervous because I only spent $5.... so the ship must be deteriorating or really small or dirty or something. But when we got to the harbor in Stockholm, our boat was a big cruise ship. It was not unlike the cruise ship I took to Caribbean with family a couple of years ago.
We left on a Tuesday, partied and gambled all night on the boat, and when we woke up on Wednesday, we were in Finland. We only had about 8 hours onshore before we had to be back on the boat. But we got to see a lot of the city. First we found some really delicious and cheap food for lunch (I actually had Indian food for the first time ever...in Finland). Then we just started walking towards the big cathedral and just wandered around. It was actually a lot of fun because the cathedral was absolutely beautiful. It was so large you could see it from the harbor. We also ran into the Helsinki City Museum (which had free admission). When all of that was done, we had about two hours left before we needed to be back on the boat. We asked the nice museum staff for any advice and their advice was to get on one of the main tram lines and take it all the way around the city. It was the best advice ever. For about 3 Euro we saw every side of Helsinki in about one hour. We never would have known to do that and now I can’t wait to go back so we explore the other side of the city.
Wednesday night was just a repeat of the night before but when we woke up on Thursday morning, we were back in Stockholm.
Overall, Helsinki was a wonderful city. I really loved it. I’m really hoping we can repeat the cruise in the future (maybe when it’s a little warmer out).
Uppsala Update
I wish I had some really excellent excuse for my lack of an update. In reality, I’ve just been having too much fun running around Uppsala, hanging out with friends and sometimes just doing nothing.
I have a lot of free time. I’m a full time student at Uppsala University and I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 hours each day. Granted, I’m not taking the hardest classes. I was trying to get into some international health classes that would go from 8AM-5PM for 4 days a week but somehow I didn’t get in to those classes. So I’m taking nothing but Swedish culture classes with other exchange students. I guess I really can’t complain.
Since I have all this free time, I’ve decided that I need to pick up a hobby or two while I’m here. First things first, I’m getting a gym membership. I literally have no excuse for that anymore. I also found an English Bookstore in downtown Uppsala. So I think my love of Uppsala’s coffee shops and the fact that I’m a few years behind in my reading might pair up nicely together. My friends and I also recently discovered the wonders of the sauna. Every building in Flogsta has a sauna on a the top floor. I think we will be taking advantage of that Nordic tradition quite often.
So I’m a little behind in updating but I’ll make separate entries about my trip to Finland and my nation! For all those people suffering in the blizzard in the Midwest, I think I have to tell you that it hasn’t snowed in Sweden in almost 2 weeks and today was a high of 38. And you thought I was crazy for wanting to go to Sweden...
I have a lot of free time. I’m a full time student at Uppsala University and I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 hours each day. Granted, I’m not taking the hardest classes. I was trying to get into some international health classes that would go from 8AM-5PM for 4 days a week but somehow I didn’t get in to those classes. So I’m taking nothing but Swedish culture classes with other exchange students. I guess I really can’t complain.
Since I have all this free time, I’ve decided that I need to pick up a hobby or two while I’m here. First things first, I’m getting a gym membership. I literally have no excuse for that anymore. I also found an English Bookstore in downtown Uppsala. So I think my love of Uppsala’s coffee shops and the fact that I’m a few years behind in my reading might pair up nicely together. My friends and I also recently discovered the wonders of the sauna. Every building in Flogsta has a sauna on a the top floor. I think we will be taking advantage of that Nordic tradition quite often.
So I’m a little behind in updating but I’ll make separate entries about my trip to Finland and my nation! For all those people suffering in the blizzard in the Midwest, I think I have to tell you that it hasn’t snowed in Sweden in almost 2 weeks and today was a high of 38. And you thought I was crazy for wanting to go to Sweden...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Uppsala
I’m finally getting around to updating about my arrival in Uppsala!
My first day in Uppsala was less than ideal. Throughout that first day, I had to keep repeating to myself that first impressions are not always correct. Over half the things that have happened to me in Uppsala are the type of situations where if I didn’t laugh about it, I think I would have started crying.
Taylor, Ryan and I had figured out a cheap train to Uppsala and we got to town with complete success. Then we were standing on the corner trying to figure out where to catch a taxi. We had used google maps and figured out that it was a 7 minute walk to where we needed to go... since the sidewalks are nearly impossible to pull the suitcases across... we had decided in advance that a taxi would be best. Just as we were doing this, two American women had overheard us and intervened.
“Don’t take a taxi!” they tell us. “It’s less than 3 blocks away!” they say. They gave us directions and walked away.
It took the three of us nearly one hour to walk the three blocks. They were long blocks on sidewalks that, again, were not shoveled. Poor Taylor weighs about just as much as her bags do. Needless to say, we took a lot of breaks. Walking was the worst advice ever.
We found the check-in place... but it was wrong check-in place. Luckily, one of the students had access to a university van and she took us to get our keys and then to our rooms.
I live in Flogsta. Flogsta is to Uppsala as the 6-pack is to Champaign. It is a huge area that consists of 16 different buildings. Each building has 8 floors full of college students. Each floor is split in half and each side has 12 students. Those 12 students share a living room with a TV, a balcony, 4 refrigerators, 2 stoves and a kitchen area. My room is the biggest room I’ve ever lived in during college. My room has two bookshelves, a desk and a bed (all from IKEA). I also get my own bathroom and and spacious closet. Everything would be perfect if only my radiator would actually heat the room and if my bed didn’t have springs coming out of the mattress.
There is one piece of interesting information about Flogsta that I feel obligated to share. Flogsta has a tradition called Flogstavrålet. Flogstavrålet is Swedish for Flogsta scream. Every single night at 10 PM, all the students open their windows or go out on the balconies and scream. They say it’s because school is so stressful and every student should get to de-stress by screaming their heads off for 1 minute. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ll try to take a video of it tonight. I really truly believe that you could only find something like the Flogstavrålet in Sweden.
We also hear that there is always a party in Flogsta somewhere. So of course, we found that party. It wasn’t hard to find because the music was so loud. The party was nothing like the parties in Champaign. Mostly because there were like 300 people in one corridor meant for only 12. Also because they was a real live DJ with ridiculous speakers in the corner. It was interesting. It reminded me of a frat party in a dorm (which is really funny to picture if you think about it). We left early and went to bed early. It was a long day.
The next day we got up early and had to go meet with our advisor at the International Office. The three of us met with her for about an hour. We were hit with the crushing news that we weren’t actually registered for classes yet. Then we found out that we didn’t have a log-in ID, which meant we couldn’t use the internet in our rooms. It was frustrating to hear so much bad news all at once. The rest of the day, we spent looking for banks, phone companies and grocery stores.
Monday was a great day. We woke up early again and the sun was out for the first time since we arrived. We got our bus passes, got cell phones, tried to open bank accounts, made another IKEA trip and went to an international student meeting. It was a really productive day. It was also the first day that I wasn’t so frustrated and I started to notice how beautiful Uppsala is. Downtown Uppsala reminds me of downtown Geneva except its a lot larger. There are tons of little unique stores and restaurants but also all of the big store names you would expect to see.
Because it was so sunny on Monday, it was painful to see the sun start to set at 3:30 PM. Uppsala is so far North, that the sun starts to set earlier than most places. I absolutely cannot wait until we get 18 hours of daylight though!!
Today, Tuesday, was a big fail for me.
We finally had a class. Taylor, Ryan and I are all taking Swedish Culture. A class that I’m not too thrilled to be taking because obviously, the class consists of mostly exchange students. I want to go to Sweden to meet Swedes and speak Swedish...might be semi-hard in a class full of international students.
Due to lack of communication and me missing the bus, I didn’t make it to class. Then, I tried to meet up with Taylor and Ryan at the Nation’s Fair, but according to our friend, Sofia, I missed them by only 10 minutes. (I promise to explain Nations when I join one.) I also received an email today stating that I can’t get into the health classes I wanted to take. So I might really be stuck taking Swedish culture, instead of getting to take classes with the actual students at Uppsala. I have to meet with my advisor again tomorrow morning and see what I can do.
I did manage to update my blog today though :-)
My first day in Uppsala was less than ideal. Throughout that first day, I had to keep repeating to myself that first impressions are not always correct. Over half the things that have happened to me in Uppsala are the type of situations where if I didn’t laugh about it, I think I would have started crying.
Taylor, Ryan and I had figured out a cheap train to Uppsala and we got to town with complete success. Then we were standing on the corner trying to figure out where to catch a taxi. We had used google maps and figured out that it was a 7 minute walk to where we needed to go... since the sidewalks are nearly impossible to pull the suitcases across... we had decided in advance that a taxi would be best. Just as we were doing this, two American women had overheard us and intervened.
“Don’t take a taxi!” they tell us. “It’s less than 3 blocks away!” they say. They gave us directions and walked away.
It took the three of us nearly one hour to walk the three blocks. They were long blocks on sidewalks that, again, were not shoveled. Poor Taylor weighs about just as much as her bags do. Needless to say, we took a lot of breaks. Walking was the worst advice ever.
We found the check-in place... but it was wrong check-in place. Luckily, one of the students had access to a university van and she took us to get our keys and then to our rooms.
I live in Flogsta. Flogsta is to Uppsala as the 6-pack is to Champaign. It is a huge area that consists of 16 different buildings. Each building has 8 floors full of college students. Each floor is split in half and each side has 12 students. Those 12 students share a living room with a TV, a balcony, 4 refrigerators, 2 stoves and a kitchen area. My room is the biggest room I’ve ever lived in during college. My room has two bookshelves, a desk and a bed (all from IKEA). I also get my own bathroom and and spacious closet. Everything would be perfect if only my radiator would actually heat the room and if my bed didn’t have springs coming out of the mattress.
There is one piece of interesting information about Flogsta that I feel obligated to share. Flogsta has a tradition called Flogstavrålet. Flogstavrålet is Swedish for Flogsta scream. Every single night at 10 PM, all the students open their windows or go out on the balconies and scream. They say it’s because school is so stressful and every student should get to de-stress by screaming their heads off for 1 minute. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ll try to take a video of it tonight. I really truly believe that you could only find something like the Flogstavrålet in Sweden.
We also hear that there is always a party in Flogsta somewhere. So of course, we found that party. It wasn’t hard to find because the music was so loud. The party was nothing like the parties in Champaign. Mostly because there were like 300 people in one corridor meant for only 12. Also because they was a real live DJ with ridiculous speakers in the corner. It was interesting. It reminded me of a frat party in a dorm (which is really funny to picture if you think about it). We left early and went to bed early. It was a long day.
The next day we got up early and had to go meet with our advisor at the International Office. The three of us met with her for about an hour. We were hit with the crushing news that we weren’t actually registered for classes yet. Then we found out that we didn’t have a log-in ID, which meant we couldn’t use the internet in our rooms. It was frustrating to hear so much bad news all at once. The rest of the day, we spent looking for banks, phone companies and grocery stores.
Monday was a great day. We woke up early again and the sun was out for the first time since we arrived. We got our bus passes, got cell phones, tried to open bank accounts, made another IKEA trip and went to an international student meeting. It was a really productive day. It was also the first day that I wasn’t so frustrated and I started to notice how beautiful Uppsala is. Downtown Uppsala reminds me of downtown Geneva except its a lot larger. There are tons of little unique stores and restaurants but also all of the big store names you would expect to see.
Because it was so sunny on Monday, it was painful to see the sun start to set at 3:30 PM. Uppsala is so far North, that the sun starts to set earlier than most places. I absolutely cannot wait until we get 18 hours of daylight though!!
Today, Tuesday, was a big fail for me.
We finally had a class. Taylor, Ryan and I are all taking Swedish Culture. A class that I’m not too thrilled to be taking because obviously, the class consists of mostly exchange students. I want to go to Sweden to meet Swedes and speak Swedish...might be semi-hard in a class full of international students.
Due to lack of communication and me missing the bus, I didn’t make it to class. Then, I tried to meet up with Taylor and Ryan at the Nation’s Fair, but according to our friend, Sofia, I missed them by only 10 minutes. (I promise to explain Nations when I join one.) I also received an email today stating that I can’t get into the health classes I wanted to take. So I might really be stuck taking Swedish culture, instead of getting to take classes with the actual students at Uppsala. I have to meet with my advisor again tomorrow morning and see what I can do.
I did manage to update my blog today though :-)
Friday, January 14, 2011
Gamla Stan
On Friday, I was finally leaving for Stockholm. I didn’t want to leave though. I think I could have stayed in Gothenburg forever. Gothenburg is a lot like Chicago except it’s smaller and....better. Gothenburg has a long, unique history, its a clean city and the people are really friendly.
In Sweden, (from what I understand) one is either a Stockholm person, a Gothenburg person or one of those crazy people that chooses to live in the Arctic Circle. I realize that I haven’t been to Stockholm yet but I don’t think anything could beat Gothenburg. Thorlief has a joke that he likes to tell:
Q: “What’s the best part about Stockholm?”
A: The road going to Gothenburg.
Well said.
Leaving Gunilla and Arne was really hard. I tried not to cry but failed kind of miserably. It took me 21 years to get to Sweden the first time... who knows when I might be back??
Gunilla had two parting gifts for me. The first was my very own chunk of amazing Swedish cheese. She said she didn’t want me to go hungry at Uppsala. The second was a clock that was made in the porcelain factory that Gunilla used to work at. It even has a little “Made in Sweden” design on the back.
The flight to Stockholm was fast and easy. I think (again) that I am the luckiest person when it comes to travel (knock on wood!). I was sitting at the window seat...and even though there was a row of seats in my front of mine...there was randomly a seat missing right in front of me. I guess they only take away the seat nearest the exit window. So I had a window seat and got to stretch out! Lucky!
I realized today that in my almost 3 weeks of traveling, I have been to 6 different airports already. Stockholm’s Arlanda airport is huge. I had the seemingly impossible task of trying to find Taylor and Ryan but we semi-randomly ran into each other after only 10 minutes of searching.
When we finally got to our hostel, I convinced Ryan and Taylor to fight the jet lag and we went out to dinner. Conveniently, our hostel was only a 10 minute walk from Gamla Stan. Gamla Stan is one of the major sightseeing stops in Stockholm. It’s the “historical district” of Stockholm and it reminds me of an over-priced version of Gothenburg’s Haga.
After dinner, we watched Dancing with the Stars in Swedish (which was actually really entertaining) and went to bed early. Off to Uppsala tomorrow!!
In Sweden, (from what I understand) one is either a Stockholm person, a Gothenburg person or one of those crazy people that chooses to live in the Arctic Circle. I realize that I haven’t been to Stockholm yet but I don’t think anything could beat Gothenburg. Thorlief has a joke that he likes to tell:
Q: “What’s the best part about Stockholm?”
A: The road going to Gothenburg.
Well said.
Leaving Gunilla and Arne was really hard. I tried not to cry but failed kind of miserably. It took me 21 years to get to Sweden the first time... who knows when I might be back??
Gunilla had two parting gifts for me. The first was my very own chunk of amazing Swedish cheese. She said she didn’t want me to go hungry at Uppsala. The second was a clock that was made in the porcelain factory that Gunilla used to work at. It even has a little “Made in Sweden” design on the back.
The flight to Stockholm was fast and easy. I think (again) that I am the luckiest person when it comes to travel (knock on wood!). I was sitting at the window seat...and even though there was a row of seats in my front of mine...there was randomly a seat missing right in front of me. I guess they only take away the seat nearest the exit window. So I had a window seat and got to stretch out! Lucky!
I realized today that in my almost 3 weeks of traveling, I have been to 6 different airports already. Stockholm’s Arlanda airport is huge. I had the seemingly impossible task of trying to find Taylor and Ryan but we semi-randomly ran into each other after only 10 minutes of searching.
When we finally got to our hostel, I convinced Ryan and Taylor to fight the jet lag and we went out to dinner. Conveniently, our hostel was only a 10 minute walk from Gamla Stan. Gamla Stan is one of the major sightseeing stops in Stockholm. It’s the “historical district” of Stockholm and it reminds me of an over-priced version of Gothenburg’s Haga.
After dinner, we watched Dancing with the Stars in Swedish (which was actually really entertaining) and went to bed early. Off to Uppsala tomorrow!!
I think my shrimp is looking at me.
January 13th, 2011
My last full day in Gothenburg was very entertaining. In the morning, I was allowed to be lazy and I finally started to update a lot of the pictures up onto my facebook. I have to admit that I may be already starting to get a little homesick. I’ve stayed away from home much longer in the past, but I was always close enough to home to just jump in my car and leave whenever I wanted to. I think just knowing that I am so far away makes missing home a little worse.
A little after noon, Gunilla’s brother, Håkan and his wife picked us up for lunch. We ate at a restaurant called Långedrag Värdshus. It is a really fancy restaurant that is on the Atlantic Ocean. I think it is the prettiest restaurant I’ve ever eaten at. It also happens to be one of those restaurants where you only get three choices: the dish of the day, a salad or some stand-by dish. Since the dish of the day was some sort of soup that had three different types of seafood in it, I sprung for the stand-by dish. The best translation they gave me for it was “hamburger that is nothing like McDonald’s.” I should hope not.
I feel like half of my blog is spent describing food, but I can’t help it. Each meal I have is better than the previous one! This meal was the best beef, the best mashed potatoes and a yummy cooked apple. I felt like Remy from the Disney movie Ratatouille. I had one bite of the meat and that was amazing. Then I took a bite of the mashed potatoes and the meat together, and that was even better. Maybe I’m just too poor to go to restaurants like this in the US, but otherwise I would think that Swedish food (errr, food in Sweden) is much better than American. After lunch, we had coffee. Coffee was included in the price of the meal because they assume everybody would buy it anyways I think.
After fika, Håkan took us on a driving tour of where him and Gunilla grew up. They showed me the old house they lived in as well. In fact, when my great-grandfather Charles visited, he had stayed with Gunilla and Håkan’s parents.
This is really important because I definitely think it is because of Charles’ last visit to Sweden that has allowed me to also visit. When he visited, Thorlief, Gunilla and Håkan were young kids and they remember meeting him, asking him questions about his American cars and seeing American money for the first time. I also think it should be said that not once in my entire time in Gothenburg did I spend one dime. They wouldn’t let me. I wanted to buy a postcard to send to my parents and even though it was less than a dollar, I wasn’t allowed to buy it myself. This is because when Charles visited, he took the entire family out to dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town. Gunilla still remembers how good the dinner was and she remembers his generosity.
Next they took me to a church that is at a high point in Gothenburg. From there, we could see the bridge, the harbor and what seemed like the entire town.
After all of this, we got back home and had only a few hours before dinner. Gunilla had called a few cousins and invited them all over for dinner. So for dinner it was Gunilla, Arne, Thorlief, Ewa, Håkan, Håkan’s wife (whose name even if I did remember, I don’t think I could spell the right way), Birgitta and myself. Birgitta’s grandmother was Teckla, who was a sister to Charles. I was really hoping most of the dinner would be in English. However, no such luck because Birgitta and Håkan’s English wasn’t so great.
So when we sat for dinner, Gunilla showed me what we were eating. It was fresh shrimp caught from the Atlantic Ocean just that morning. They were the kind of shrimp that have the eyes, the antennae, the legs and my first one just happened to be pregnant and was full of eggs. I wish at least one other American had been there with me because I was laughing at myself. Thorlief had to teach me how to open them and he was like, “It’s really easy, you just twist and rip the head off like this and then just pull the legs and skin off and... done! Bon appetit!”
I’m not really what one would call a seafood person. All of the Swedes were really confused by this. “Don’t you live on a big lake?”
Ummm... Can you eat the fish out of Lake Michigan? I’m not even sure if you’re really supposed to swim in it or you might get cancer or something.
In the end, I really liked the shrimp. And Gunilla had bought pizza (something she knew I would like) for the main course.
After dinner was fika, and I tried my best to listen to all their fast Swedish. Listening to a different language is actually really tiring. At one point I was only half listening and Birgitta suddenly turned around and in broken English demanded to hear my Swedish. I always feel awkward when people say that to me. What do you want me to say?
I said a few sentences and she said I sounded pretty good for not knowing much Swedish. I Swedish-gasped at that...and that was the end of the conversation.
I was grateful that I got to meet the people that I did. I made sure we took a picture of everyone. It’s kind of a funny picture because I don’t think people pose for pictures in Sweden the way Americans do. They like to take candid pictures; which is why I think no one but me is smiling.
After everyone left, Gunilla taught me how to make kräm. I can’t wait to subject my friends to my Swedish recipes when I get back to Champaign.
My last full day in Gothenburg was very entertaining. In the morning, I was allowed to be lazy and I finally started to update a lot of the pictures up onto my facebook. I have to admit that I may be already starting to get a little homesick. I’ve stayed away from home much longer in the past, but I was always close enough to home to just jump in my car and leave whenever I wanted to. I think just knowing that I am so far away makes missing home a little worse.
A little after noon, Gunilla’s brother, Håkan and his wife picked us up for lunch. We ate at a restaurant called Långedrag Värdshus. It is a really fancy restaurant that is on the Atlantic Ocean. I think it is the prettiest restaurant I’ve ever eaten at. It also happens to be one of those restaurants where you only get three choices: the dish of the day, a salad or some stand-by dish. Since the dish of the day was some sort of soup that had three different types of seafood in it, I sprung for the stand-by dish. The best translation they gave me for it was “hamburger that is nothing like McDonald’s.” I should hope not.
I feel like half of my blog is spent describing food, but I can’t help it. Each meal I have is better than the previous one! This meal was the best beef, the best mashed potatoes and a yummy cooked apple. I felt like Remy from the Disney movie Ratatouille. I had one bite of the meat and that was amazing. Then I took a bite of the mashed potatoes and the meat together, and that was even better. Maybe I’m just too poor to go to restaurants like this in the US, but otherwise I would think that Swedish food (errr, food in Sweden) is much better than American. After lunch, we had coffee. Coffee was included in the price of the meal because they assume everybody would buy it anyways I think.
After fika, Håkan took us on a driving tour of where him and Gunilla grew up. They showed me the old house they lived in as well. In fact, when my great-grandfather Charles visited, he had stayed with Gunilla and Håkan’s parents.
This is really important because I definitely think it is because of Charles’ last visit to Sweden that has allowed me to also visit. When he visited, Thorlief, Gunilla and Håkan were young kids and they remember meeting him, asking him questions about his American cars and seeing American money for the first time. I also think it should be said that not once in my entire time in Gothenburg did I spend one dime. They wouldn’t let me. I wanted to buy a postcard to send to my parents and even though it was less than a dollar, I wasn’t allowed to buy it myself. This is because when Charles visited, he took the entire family out to dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town. Gunilla still remembers how good the dinner was and she remembers his generosity.
Next they took me to a church that is at a high point in Gothenburg. From there, we could see the bridge, the harbor and what seemed like the entire town.
After all of this, we got back home and had only a few hours before dinner. Gunilla had called a few cousins and invited them all over for dinner. So for dinner it was Gunilla, Arne, Thorlief, Ewa, Håkan, Håkan’s wife (whose name even if I did remember, I don’t think I could spell the right way), Birgitta and myself. Birgitta’s grandmother was Teckla, who was a sister to Charles. I was really hoping most of the dinner would be in English. However, no such luck because Birgitta and Håkan’s English wasn’t so great.
So when we sat for dinner, Gunilla showed me what we were eating. It was fresh shrimp caught from the Atlantic Ocean just that morning. They were the kind of shrimp that have the eyes, the antennae, the legs and my first one just happened to be pregnant and was full of eggs. I wish at least one other American had been there with me because I was laughing at myself. Thorlief had to teach me how to open them and he was like, “It’s really easy, you just twist and rip the head off like this and then just pull the legs and skin off and... done! Bon appetit!”
I’m not really what one would call a seafood person. All of the Swedes were really confused by this. “Don’t you live on a big lake?”
Ummm... Can you eat the fish out of Lake Michigan? I’m not even sure if you’re really supposed to swim in it or you might get cancer or something.
In the end, I really liked the shrimp. And Gunilla had bought pizza (something she knew I would like) for the main course.
After dinner was fika, and I tried my best to listen to all their fast Swedish. Listening to a different language is actually really tiring. At one point I was only half listening and Birgitta suddenly turned around and in broken English demanded to hear my Swedish. I always feel awkward when people say that to me. What do you want me to say?
I said a few sentences and she said I sounded pretty good for not knowing much Swedish. I Swedish-gasped at that...and that was the end of the conversation.
I was grateful that I got to meet the people that I did. I made sure we took a picture of everyone. It’s kind of a funny picture because I don’t think people pose for pictures in Sweden the way Americans do. They like to take candid pictures; which is why I think no one but me is smiling.
After everyone left, Gunilla taught me how to make kräm. I can’t wait to subject my friends to my Swedish recipes when I get back to Champaign.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Swedish gasp
OK, so this entry isn’t about any day in particular, but I feel a little mad at my Swedish teachers. I don’t know if there is an official name for it, but in Swedish conversation there exists this... gasp?
You know when you are having a conversation with someone and they take a deep breath in before they talk? That noise is a word in Swedish. It means a lot of things. It mostly means “I understand, or yes, or keep talking.” It might be almost equivalent to a nod or something. It occurs in every conversation I have had so far in Sweden. Every time it happens, I turn and stare at the person...because I expected them to take a deep breath and say something. But that’s it. Just a gasp of air to let you know that they are still listening or that they understand what you’re saying.
In fact, when listening to my family talk in the Swedish, the Swedish gasp is the only word I need to know how to say. It was really strange at first, but now I think it’s the best word I know.
You know when you are having a conversation with someone and they take a deep breath in before they talk? That noise is a word in Swedish. It means a lot of things. It mostly means “I understand, or yes, or keep talking.” It might be almost equivalent to a nod or something. It occurs in every conversation I have had so far in Sweden. Every time it happens, I turn and stare at the person...because I expected them to take a deep breath and say something. But that’s it. Just a gasp of air to let you know that they are still listening or that they understand what you’re saying.
In fact, when listening to my family talk in the Swedish, the Swedish gasp is the only word I need to know how to say. It was really strange at first, but now I think it’s the best word I know.
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